Chris said Riggs would test me. Well, Chris promised Riggs would test me. I thought I would share my pain, and also the lessons I am learning already. Of course, you're all also going to see me get taught a lesson or two, but hey, them's the breaks.

I want Riggs to lie down before I open the crate door. Riggs wiggles back and forth and paws at the door when he sees me coming, and the first few times blasted out of the crate as soon as I unlocked it. Tail going a mile a minute. Not good - well the happy tail is fine, the blasting out is not.

So, I started to tell him to down. He looks at me and keeps on wiggleing. "down" Wiggle. "down" wiggle. "DOWN" sit. "down" wiggle. "D-O-W-N" sit and look at the top of the crate. lather, rinse, repeat.

I've held his toy where he can see it, a treat, waited, walked away, come back, everything I can think of.

After four days of this, I am finally getting a down after only 5 or 6 times. I open the crate the second he hits the floor and freezes for .1 second.

Now, I can't correct him because he's on one side of the door and I'm on the other. Once the door is open he blasts out, and the battle to get him back in to make him lie down (because I can enforce the command with my hand on his collar) is a battle of wagging tail, licking dog and the giant mittens that dog calls feet.

He will down the second I tell him to after his butt has cleared the crate door.

So, what's the secret? In the evenings I have time to go back and forth 15 times instead of telling him to down 500 times, but in the morning I don't have the time to do it. If I really wanted to 'teach him a lesson' I'd just say screw it and go to work, but I'd feel guilty the entire day and I am sure I'd come home and have to clean the crate and the dog.

I'm open to suggestions, hints, redicule, whatever.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

i agree, if you have to say it more then once, walk away. too bad he cant come out.. if he knows the commands he should perform them or he cant come out. for every time you repeat a command give demo a dollar.. watch how fast you stop repeating the command.. riggs is smart, he knows that the more you say the command the more he doesnt have to obey, because eventually he will throw you abone and you wll let himout.. so far he has you trained pretty good

Maryellen wrote:i agree, if you have to say it more then once, walk away. too bad he cant come out.. if he knows the commands he should perform them or he cant come out. for every time you repeat a command give demo a dollar.. watch how fast you stop repeating the command.. riggs is smart, he knows that the more you say the command the more he doesnt have to obey, because eventually he will throw you abone and you wll let himout.. so far he has you trained pretty good

Yay I got one right!!

*Does a dance*

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

SisMorphine wrote:The only thing I can say is don't repeat yourself. If he doesn't do it right after you say "down" the first time stand and wait until he downs. Or walk away and try later.

Yup, I tried that. Like I said, I can do that at night, but the morning does not work like that. He also has temper tantrums when I walk away, and barks and whines which means I have to wait even longer because I don't enter the room until he is quiet for 30 seconds. (I time it)

I went and got him a heavy duty nylabone, the butcher is out of femurs. I couldn't find anything but veal bones in my freezer. I'll have a femur next week sometime.

Normally I am a 'one command' person, but that is with leash in hand.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

patience little butterfly patience.... if he doesnt do the command walk away andtry later.. if you have to bathe him oh well.. he is super smart, and he is playing you big time.... he knows what you want, he is just toying with you....

now go back through all the training posts I've written and count how many times I've said that myself.

it only pertains to other people. not me. so there.

So, Chris called me when he read my post - I answered the phone "hello, this is the owner of a psycho insane Pit Bull who is making me completey crazy" he laughed at me.

He gave me a bunch of different ideas to try to get this taken care of.

The one I am going with is the 'offer' one. Let him out of the crate, and down him for a toy/food/whatever as soon as he comes out. After a week of this he will start to offer the behavior to get the reward.

Funny thing, the little snot gave me most of a down when I went in his room after I got off the phone. He's got such a smooshy little face though, I just want to baby him and turn him in to spoiled brat Ruby the second. (and now Chris is tearing out his remaining hair )

He came out and downed for his tug before his tail even cleared the door. I'll let you know how things go... the ongoing saga of Michelle and Riggs.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.